Temporary handling of wireless communication device capabilities

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication device (UE) may provide information pertaining to one or more operating capabilities of the UE to LTE and 5G-NR networks. The UE may transmit information to an LTE base station directly, and to a 5G-NR base station directly, or indirectly via the LTE base station. The information may include preferred values corresponding to any number of different operating parameters associated with wireless communications or wireless communication capabilities of the UE in both LTE and 5G-NR networks, to inform and/or request the LTE and 5G-NR networks to make provisions based on the transmitted information for the wireless communications of the UE on those networks. The UE may thereby provide assistance information to LTE and 5G-NR networks in a multi-radio-access-technology dual-connectivity setting to request the respective networks to adjust certain operating capabilities of the UE in order to alleviate one or more operating issues that may be affecting the UE.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/763,897, titled “Temporary Handling of Wireless Communication DeviceCapabilities”, filed on May 13, 2020, which is a national stageapplication of International Application No. PCT/CN2017/111533, titled“Temporary Handling of Wireless Communication Device Capabilities”,filed on Nov. 17, 2017, both of which are hereby incorporated byreference as though fully and completely set forth herein.

The claims in the instant application are different than those of theparent application or other related applications. The Applicanttherefore rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in the parentapplication or any predecessor application in relation to the instantapplication. The Examiner is therefore advised that any such previousdisclaimer and the cited references that it was made to avoid, may needto be revisited. Further, any disclaimer made in the instant applicationshould not be read into or against the parent application or otherrelated applications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to wireless communications andcommunication devices, and more particularly to temporarily adjustingwireless communication device capabilities during 3GPP and 5G New Radio(5G-NR) communications.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. In recentyears, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers havebecome increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephonecalls, many mobile devices now provide access to the internet, email,text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system(GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications thatutilize these functionalities.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for themajority of wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobilebroadband data and high-speed Internet access to their subscriber base.LTE defines a number of downlink (DL) physical channels, categorized astransport or control channels, to carry information blocks received fromthe MAC and higher layers. LTE also defines three physical layerchannels for the uplink (UL).

The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is a DL transport channel,and is the main data-bearing channel allocated to users on a dynamic andopportunistic basis. The PDSCH carries data in Transport Blocks (TB)corresponding to a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU),passed from the MAC layer to the physical (PHY) layer once perTransmission Time Interval (TTI). The PDSCH is also used to transmitbroadcast information such as System Information Blocks (SIB) and pagingmessages.

The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is a DL control channelthat carries the resource assignment for UEs that are contained in aDownlink Control Information (DCI) message. Multiple PDCCHs can betransmitted in the same subframe using Control Channel Elements (CCE),each of which is a nine set of four resource elements known as ResourceElement Groups (REG). The PDCCH employs quadrature phase-shift keying(QPSK) modulation, with four QPSK symbols mapped to each REG.Furthermore, 1, 2, 4, or 8 CCEs can be used for a UE, depending onchannel conditions, to ensure sufficient robustness.

The Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) is a UL channel shared by alldevices (user equipment, UE) in a radio cell to transmit user data tothe network. The scheduling for all UEs is under control of the LTE basestation (enhanced Node B, or eNB). The eNB uses the uplink schedulinggrant (DCI format 0) to inform the UE about resource block (RB)assignment, and the modulation and coding scheme to be used. PUSCHtypically supports QPSK and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Inaddition to user data, the PUSCH also carries any control informationnecessary to decode the information, such as transport format indicatorsand multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) parameters. Control data ismultiplexed with information data prior to digital Fourier transform(DFT) spreading.

The Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) is a DL controlchannel that carries the Control format Indicator (CFI) which includesthe number of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbolsused for control channel transmission in each subframe (typically 1, 2,or 3). The 32-bit long CFI is mapped to 16 Resource Elements in thefirst OFDM symbol of each downlink frame using QPSK modulation.

Therefore, as indicated above, during data communication over LTE, theDL uses the physical channel PDSCH, while in UL it uses the UL channelPUSCH. As also mentioned above, these two channels convey the transportblocks of data in addition to some MAC control and system information.To support the transmission of DL and UL transport channels, DownlinkShared Channel (DLSCH) and Uplink Shared Channel (ULSCH) controlsignaling is required. This control information is sent in PDCCH and itcontains DL resource assignment and UL grant information. PDCCH is sentin the beginning of every subframe in the first OFDM symbols. Dependingon the level of robustness and the PDCCH system capacity (numbers ofusers to be simultaneously served in a TTI) the NW needs to achieve,PDCCH will be transmitted in either the first 1, 2, 3, or 4 OFDM symbolsof a subframe. The number of OFDM symbols used in PDCCH is signaled inPCFICH. In order to improve operation of range constrained devicesand/or devices operating in weak coverage areas, blind decoding of thePDCCH was developed as a possible mechanism for alleviating the negativeeffects of bad reception of the PCFICH.

A proposed next telecommunications standard moving beyond the currentInternational Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced)Standards is called 5th generation mobile networks or 5th generationwireless systems, or 5G for short (otherwise known as 5G-NR for 5G NewRadio). 5G-NR proposes a higher capacity for a higher density of mobilebroadband users, also supporting device-to-device, ultra-reliable, andmassive machine communications, as well as lower latency and lowerbattery consumption, than current LTE standards. As 5G-NR networks areestablished, various intermediate stages of development includeprovisions for multi-radio-access-technology (multi-RAT) modes ofoperation for wireless communication devices (or UEs), whereby UEs mayconnect to both LTE and 5G-NR networks. At times, operating UEs may needto communicate information pertaining to certain operating capabilitiesof the UE to the network. For example, the UE may need to inform thenetwork that the UE is overheating. While certain provisions have beenmade for some limited communications of such information by UEs to LTEnetworks, there are presently no standard mechanisms in place for suchcommunications in 5G-NR networks.

Other corresponding issues related to the prior art will become apparentto one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with thedisclosed embodiments as described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments described herein relate to a User Equipment (UE) device,base station, and/or relay station, and associated method for a UEproviding information pertaining to one or more operating capabilitiesof the UE to LTE and 5G-NR networks. In some embodiments, the UE maytransmit information (referred to as UE Assistance Information)regarding any number of different operating parameters associated withwireless communications of the UE in LTE and 5G-NR networks, to informand/or request the LTE and 5G-NR networks to make provisions for thewireless communications of the UE based on the transmitted information.

At least three different approaches may be used for transmitting the UEAssistance Information in a multi-radio-access-technology (Multi-RAT)dual connectivity system, in which a UE communicates with an LTE basestation (eNB operating as a master node, MN), and also communicates withan NR base station (gNB operating as a secondary node, SN), with the MNcoupling to an EPC (evolved packet core) network and also communicatingwith the SN.

In a first approach, LTE UE Assistance Information may be extended to NRnetworks, and NR related capability information may be added to orincluded in LTE UE Assistance Information transmissions, and the eNB mayforward the information to the gNB.

In a second approach, NR messages (e.g. NR RRC messages) may be definedand used for reporting the UE Assistance Information corresponding to UEoperating capabilities associated with communication on the NR network.The UE may transmit an LTE message (e.g. LTE RRC message) to the eNB,with the LTE message encapsulating the NR message (e.g. the NR RRCmessage) which includes the UE Assistance Information and/or temporarycapability adjustment/restriction request for NR communications. The eNBmay forward the LTE message that includes the encapsulated NR message tothe gNB. The UE may also send an LTE message that includes UE AssistanceInformation for LTE to the eNB, and the eNB and gNB may independentlyhandle the respective messages received, and may adjust (e.g. reduce)the UE capabilities as applicable.

In a third approach, the UE may transmit separate requests and/or UEAssistance Information for LTE and NR to the eNB and the gNB,respectively. For example, the UE may transmit an LTE message (e.g. LTERRC message) to the eNB, with the message including LTE UE AssistanceInformation or a temporary capability adjustment/restriction request forLTE. Similarly, the UE may transmit an NR message (e.g. an NR RRCmessage) separately of the LTE message to the gNB, with the messageincluding NR UE Assistance Information and/or a temporary capabilityadjustment/restriction request for NR. The eNB and gNB may independentlyhandle the respective messages received, this time directly from the UE,and may adjust (e.g. reduce) the UE capabilities as applicable.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, a UE may wirelessly communicate with afirst base station according to a first radio access technology (RAT)and with a second base station according to a second RAT. In someembodiments the first RAT is LTE and the second RAT is 5G-NR (or NR forshort). The UE may transmit assistance information to the first basestation, with the assistance information including first preferredvalues corresponding to one or more first operating capabilities of theUE associated with communicating according to the first RAT, and furtherincluding second preferred values corresponding to one or more secondoperating capabilities of the UE associated with communicating accordingto the second RAT. The second preferred values may be be forwarded bythe first base station to the second base station. The UE may conducttransmissions with the first base station according to adjusted orunadjusted first operating capabilities depending on whether the firstbase station adjusted the first operating capabilities according to thefirst preferred values. The UE may similarly conduct transmissions withthe second base station according to adjusted or unadjusted secondoperating capabilities depending on whether the second base stationadjusted the second operating capabilities according to the secondpreferred values.

The UE may transmit the assistance information in a first-RAT radioresource control (RRC) message, e.g. in an LTE RRC message. Furthermore,the UE may transmit the assistance information in response to anoperating issue of the UE, which may include the UE overheating,consuming more than a specified amount of power, experiencing in-devicecoexistence performance issues, and or hardware sharing issues. The UEmay include the second preferred values in a second-RAT (e.g. NR) radioresource control message encapsulated in a first-RAT (e.g. LTE) radioresource control message, and the the first-RAT radio resource controlmessage may then be forwarded by the first base station to the secondbase station. The UE may further transmit a message to the first basestation, with the message indicating that at least one of the firstoperating capabilities or the second operating capabilities no longerneed to be adjusted. In some embodiments the UE may conducttransmissions with the first base station according to the unadjustedfirst operating capabilities upon expiration of a first timer in thefirst base station, if the first base station adjusted the firstoperating capabilities, and may also conduct transmissions with thesecond base station according to the unadjusted second operatingcapabilities upon expiration of a second timer in the second basestation, if the second base station adjusted the second operatingcapabilities.

In some embodiments, a UE may communicate wirelessly with a first basestation according to a first RAT, e.g. LTE, and may also communicatewith a second base station according to a second RAT (e.g. 5G-NR). TheUE may transmit first assistance information to the first base station,where the first assistance information includes first preferred valuescorresponding to one or more first operating capabilities of the UEassociated with communicating according to the first RAT. The UE maytransmit second assistance information to the second base station, wherethe second assistance information includes second preferred valuescorresponding to one or more second operating capabilities of the UEassociated with communicating according to the second RAT. The UE maythen conduct transmissions with the first base station according toadjusted or unadjusted first operating capabilities depending on whetherthe first base station adjusted the first operating capabilitiesaccording to the first preferred values. Similarly, the UE may conducttransmissions with the second base station according to adjusted orunadjusted second operating capabilities depending on whether the secondbase station adjusted the second operating capabilities according to thesecond preferred values. The UE may transmit the first assistanceinformation to the first base station in a first-RAT RRC message (e.g.an LTE RRC message), and may transmit the second assistance informationto the second base station in a second-RAT RRC message (e.g. an NR RRCmessage).

This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of thesubject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that the above-described features are merely examples andshould not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subjectmatter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communicationsystem according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a base station in communication with a wireless userequipment (UE) device according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base stationaccording to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 shows exemplary block diagrams illustrating various multi-RATdual-connectivity wireless communication systems, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating transmission ofLTE RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information for NR,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating transmission ofLTE RRC messages that include encapsulated NR RRC messages that includeUE Assistance Information for NR, according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating transmission ofLTE RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information and transmissionof separate NR RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information,according to some embodiments.

While features described herein are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the drawings and detailed description theretoare not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but onthe contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalentsand alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subjectmatter as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Acronyms

Various acronyms are used throughout the present application.Definitions of the most prominently used acronyms that may appearthroughout the present application are provided below:

-   -   ACK: Acknowledge    -   BS: Base Station    -   CCE: Control Channel Elements    -   CFI: Control format Indicator    -   CQI: Channel Quality Indicator    -   CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check    -   DCI: Downlink Control Information    -   DL: Downlink (from BS to UE)    -   DLSCH: Downlink Shared Channel    -   FDD: Frequency Division Duplexing    -   FEC: Forward Error Correction    -   GPS: Global Positioning System    -   GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication    -   LTE: Long Term Evolution    -   MIMO: Multiple-In Multiple-Out    -   NACK: Negative Acknowledge    -   NW: Network    -   OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing    -   PCFICH: Physical Control Format Indicator Channel    -   PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel    -   PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel    -   PDU: Protocol Data Unit    -   PHICH: Physical HARQ Indicator Channel    -   PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel    -   PHY: Physical (Layer)    -   REG: Resource Element Group    -   RRC: Radio Resource Control    -   RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power    -   RSSI: Reference Signal Strength Indicator    -   RX: Reception    -   SINR: Signal-To-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio    -   TB: Transport Blocks    -   TBS: Transport Block Size    -   TDD: Time Division Duplexing    -   TTI: Transmission Time Interval    -   TX: Transmission    -   UE: User Equipment    -   UEAI: UE Assistance Information    -   UL: Uplink (from UE to BS)    -   ULSCH: Uplink Shared Channel    -   UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

Terms

The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in the presentapplication:

Memory Medium—Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices.The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium,e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks 104, or tape device; a computer systemmemory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM,Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-transitory memory such as a Flash, magneticmedia, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or othersimilar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may compriseother types of memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, thememory medium may be located in a first computer system in which theprograms are executed, or may be located in a second different computersystem which connects to the first computer system over a network, suchas the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system mayprovide program instructions to the first computer system for execution.The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory mediums whichmay reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systemsthat are connected over a network.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Computer System (or Computer)—any of various types of computing orprocessing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframecomputer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance,personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computingsystem, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term“computer system” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (orcombination of devices) having at least one processor that executesinstructions from a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computersystems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wirelesscommunications. Also referred to as wireless communication devices.Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g.,iPhone™, Android™-based phones) and tablet computers such as iPad™Samsung Galaxy™, etc., portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™,PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPod™), laptops, wearabledevices (e.g. Apple Watch™, Google Glass™) PDAs, portable Internetdevices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices,etc. Various other types of devices would fall into this category ifthey include Wi-Fi or both cellular and Wi-Fi communication capabilitiesand/or other wireless communication capabilities, for example overshort-range radio access technologies (SRATs) such as BLUETOOTH™, etc.In general, the term “UE” or “UE device” may be broadly defined toencompass any electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications device(or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user andcapable of wireless communication.

Base Station (BS)—The term “Base Station” has the full breadth of itsordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication stationinstalled at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of awireless telephone system or radio system.

Processing Element—refers to various elements or combinations ofelements that are capable of performing a function in a device, e.g. ina user equipment device or in a cellular network device. Processingelements may include, for example: processors and associated memory,portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processorcores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), as well any of various combinations ofthe above.

Wireless Device (or wireless communication device)—any of various typesof computer systems devices which performs wireless communications usingWLAN communications, SRAT communications, Wi-Fi communications and thelike. As used herein, the term “wireless device” may refer to a UEdevice, as defined above, or to a stationary device, such as astationary wireless client or a wireless base station. For example awireless device may be any type of wireless station of an 802.11 system,such as an access point (AP) or a client station (UE), or any type ofwireless station of a cellular communication system communicatingaccording to a cellular radio access technology (e.g. LTE, CDMA, GSM),such as a base station or a cellular telephone, for example.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thusthe term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system must update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

Configured to—Various components may be described as “configured to”perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broadrecitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the taskor tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured toperform the task even when the component is not currently performingthat task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured toelectrically connect a module to another module, even when the twomodules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be abroad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that”performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component canbe configured to perform the task even when the component is notcurrently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structurecorresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits. Variouscomponents may be described as performing a task or tasks, forconvenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpretedas including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that isconfigured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not toinvoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph six, interpretation for thatcomponent.

FIGS. 1 and 2—Communication System

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communicationsystem. It is noted that the system of FIG. 1 is merely one example of apossible system, and embodiments may be implemented in any of varioussystems, as desired. As shown, the exemplary wireless communicationsystem includes a base station 102 which communicates over atransmission medium with one or more user devices 106A through 106N.Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment”(UE) or UE device. Thus, the user devices 106A-106N are referred to asUEs or UE devices. Furthermore, when referring to an individual UE ingeneral, user devices are also referenced herein as UE 106 or simply UE.

The base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cellsite, and may include hardware that enables wireless communication withthe UEs 106A through 106N. The base station 102 may also be equipped tocommunicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellularservice provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among variouspossibilities). Thus, the base station 102 may facilitate communicationbetween the user devices and/or between the user devices and the network100. The base station 102 may also communicate with other base stations,as will be further described below. The communication area (or coveragearea) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell.” As also usedherein, from the perspective of UEs, a base station may sometimes beconsidered as representing the network insofar as uplink and downlinkcommunications of the UE are concerned. Thus, a UE communicating withone or more base stations in the network may also be interpreted as theUE communicating with the network. It should also be noted that “cell”may also refer to a logical identity for a given coverage area at agiven frequency. In general, any independent cellular wireless coveragearea may be referred to as a “cell”. In such cases a base station may besituated at particular confluences of three cells. The base station, inthis uniform topology, may serve three 120-degree beam-width areasreferenced as cells. Also, in case of carrier aggregation, small cells,relays, etc. may each represent a cell. Thus, in carrier aggregation inparticular, there may be primary cells and secondary cells which mayservice at least partially overlapping coverage areas but on differentrespective frequencies. For example, a base station may serve any numberof cells, and cells served by a base station may or may not becollocated (e.g. remote radio heads).

The base station 102 and the user devices may be configured tocommunicate over the transmission medium using any of various radioaccess technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communicationtechnologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA),LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), % G-NR (or NR, for short), 3GPP2 CDMA2000(e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX etc. In someembodiments, the base station 102 communicates with at least one UEusing control indicators for (or associated with) physical controlchannels as disclosed herein.

UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wirelesscommunication standards, or radio access technologies (RATs). Forexample, a UE 106 might be configured to communicate using either or allof a 3GPP cellular communication standard (such as LTE) or a 3GPP2cellular communication standard (such as a cellular communicationstandard in the CDMA2000 family of cellular communication standards) ora 5G-NR (new radio standard). In some embodiments, the UE 106 may beconfigured to communicate with base station 102 using control indicatorsfor (or corresponding to/associated with) physical control channels asdescribed herein. Base station 102 and other similar base stationsoperating according to the same or a different cellular communicationstandard may thus be provided as one or more networks of cells, whichmay provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE106 and similar devices over a wide geographic area via one or morecellular communication standards.

The UE 106 might also or alternatively be configured to communicateusing WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigational satellite systems(GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and/or more mobile televisionbroadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M/H or DVB-H), etc. Othercombinations of wireless communication standards (including more thantwo wireless communication standards) are also possible.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system in which user equipment 106(e.g., one of the devices 106A through 106N) is in communication withthe base station 102. The UE 106 may be a device with wireless networkconnectivity such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a wearabledevice, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wirelessdevice. The UE 106 may include a processor that is configured to executeprogram instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 may perform any of themethod embodiments described herein by executing such storedinstructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE 106 may include aprogrammable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gatearray) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments ofproviding control indicators for (or corresponding to/associated with)physical control channels as described herein, or any portion of any ofthe method embodiments of providing control indicators for (orcorresponding to/associated with) physical control channels describedherein. The UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any ofmultiple wireless communication protocols. For example, the UE 106 maybe configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A,5G-NR (or NR for short), WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wirelesscommunication standards are also possible.

The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using oneor more wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, the UE106 may share one or more parts of a receive chain and/or transmit chainbetween multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio mayinclude a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas (e.g., forMIMO) for performing wireless communications. Alternatively, the UE 106may include separate transmit and/or receive chains (e.g., includingseparate antennas and other radio components) for each wirelesscommunication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. Asanother alternative, the UE 106 may include one or more radios which areshared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one ormore radios which are used exclusively by a single wirelesscommunication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include radiocircuitries for communicating using either LTE or CDMA2000 1×RTT or5G-NR, and/or communicating using each of Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH™. Otherconfigurations are also possible.

FIG. 3—Exemplary Block Diagram of a UE

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE 106. As shown, theUE 106 may include a system on chip (SOC) 300, which may includeportions for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 mayinclude processor(s) 302 which may execute program instructions for theUE 106 and display circuitry 304 which may perform graphics processingand provide display signals to the display 360. The processor(s) 302 mayalso be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may beconfigured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 302 and translatethose addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read onlymemory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and/or to other circuits ordevices, such as the display circuitry 304, radio 330, connector I/F320, and/or display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memoryprotection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments,the MMU 340 may be included as a portion of the processor(s) 302.

As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g.,including NAND flash 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for couplingto the computer system), the display 360, and wireless communicationcircuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, 5G-NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH™, Wi-Fi,GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 may include at least one antenna 335, andpossibly multiple antennas 335, for performing wireless communicationwith base stations and/or other devices. For example, the UE device 106may use antenna(s) 335 to perform the wireless communication. As notedabove, the UE may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiplewireless communication standards in some embodiments.

As described further subsequently herein, the UE 106 and base station102 may both include hardware and software components for implementing amethod for the UE providing information pertaining to one or moreoperating capabilities of the UE to LTE and 5G-NR networks. In someembodiments, the UE may transmit information regarding any number ofdifferent operating parameters associated with wireless communicationsof the UE in LTE and NR (5G-NR) networks, to inform and/or request theLTE and/or 5G-NR network(s) to make provisions for the wirelesscommunications of the UE based on the transmitted information, e.g. byadjusting various operating parameters associated with wirelesscommunications of the UE (also referred to herein as adjusting the“capabilities of the UE”.) For example, the processor 302 of the UEdevice 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods ofthe UE transmitting information regarding any number of differentoperating parameters associated with wireless communications of the UEin LTE and 5G-NR networks, to inform and/or request the LTE and 5G-NRnetworks to adjust the capabilities of the UE based at least on thetransmitted information. In other embodiments, processor 302 may beconfigured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific IntegratedCircuit). Furthermore, processor 302 may be coupled to and/or mayinteroperate with other components, such as Radio 330, as shown in FIG.3, to implement provisioning control indicators for (or correspondingto/associated with) physical control channels, according to variousembodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 4—Exemplary Block Diagram of a Base Station

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102. Itis noted that the base station of FIG. 4 is merely one example of apossible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may includeprocessor(s) 404 which may execute program instructions for the basestation 102. The processor(s) 404 may also be coupled to memorymanagement unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addressesfrom the processor(s) 404 and translate those addresses to locations inmemory (e.g., memory 460 and read only memory (ROM) 450) or to othercircuits or devices.

The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Thenetwork port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network andprovide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106, access to thetelephone network as described above in FIGS. 1 and 2. The network port470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively beconfigured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of acellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility relatedservices and/or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UEdevices 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to atelephone network via the core network, and/or the core network mayprovide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced bythe cellular service provider). The core network may provide mobilityrelated services and/or other services to a plurality of devices, suchas UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to atelephone network via the core network, and/or the core network mayprovide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced bythe cellular service provider).

The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and possiblymultiple antennas 434. The antenna(s) 434 may be configured to operateas a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicatewith UE devices 106 via radio 430. The antenna(s) 434 communicates withthe radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 maybe a receive chain, a transmit chain or both. The radio 430 may beconfigured to communicate via various wireless telecommunicationstandards, including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, NR (5G-NR), WCDMA,CDMA2000, etc. The processor(s) 404 of the base station 102 may beconfigured to implement part or all of the methods described herein forreceiving information from UEs regarding any number of differentoperating parameters associated with wireless communications of the UEin LTE and 5G-NR networks, to adjust the capabilities of the UE based atleast on the received information, e.g., by executing programinstructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor(s) 404may be configured as a programmable hardware element(s), such as an FPGA(Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Overall, the variouscomponents (460, 450, 440, 404, 430, 432, 470 and 434) of BS 102 mayinteroperate to implement at least part or all of the methods describedherein for receiving information and/or request from a UE regarding anynumber of different operating parameters associated with wirelesscommunications of the UE in LTE and 5G-NR networks, to adjust, e.g.reduce, the capabilities of the UE based at least on the receivedinformation/request(s).

Multi-Radio-Access-Technology (Multi-RAT) Dual Connectivity

As previously mentioned, the next generation wireless standard, referredto as 5G-NR or NR for short, proposes a higher capacity for a higherdensity of mobile broadband communications, and as NR networks areestablished, various intermediate stages of development have beenproposed to make provisions for multi-radio-access-technology(multi-RAT) modes of operation for wireless communication devices (orUEs), whereby UEs may connect to both LTE and NR networks. LTE networksoperate according to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) framework whichprovides converged voice and data on an LTE network. While 2G and 3Gnetwork architectures process and switch voice and data through twoseparate sub-domains, circuit-switched (CS) for voice andpacket-switched (PS) for data, EPC unifies voice and data on an InternetProtocol (IP) service architecture, in which voice is treated as justanother IP application.

Accordingly, two main modes of operation have been identified for UEs toaccommodate the establishment of NR networks while also operating on LTEnetworks. A “Standalone”, or SA mode of operation represents astandalone NR option, which does not require an already deployed LTEnetwork core. SA (or SA NR) operation implies full user and controlplane capability for NR, utilizing the new NR core network architecturealso being developed in 3GPP. A “Non-Standalone”, or NSA mode ofoperation represents use of an anchored 3GPP LTE deployment, with the NRcarriers used to boost throughput speeds and cut network latency. NSAmode of operation is intended to accelerate the NR schedule byintroducing an intermediate stage for an early completion of a variantof NR, which is referred to as NSA (or NSA NR) mode of operation, whichenables 3GPP-based large-scale trials and deployments. NSA mode ofoperation utilizes the existing LTE radio and core network as an anchorfor mobility management and coverage while adding a new NR (5G-NR)carrier.

Pursuant to the above, Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) was definedfor UEs connecting to both LTE and NR networks. Thus, MR-DC allows a UEto connect to both eNB (LTE base station) and gNB (NR base station)simultaneously. Depending on the core network, master node (MN), andsecondary node (SN), three main connectivity modes may be defined:EN-DC, NGEN-DC, and NE-DC, as illustrated in FIG. 5. An exemplary EN-DCsystem 520 shown in FIG. 5 includes an eNB 504 connecting to an EPCnetwork 502 as an MN. The MN eNB 504 may also communicate with gNB 506,which may serve as an SN. Finally, UE 106 may individually andindependently communicate with eNB 504 as well as gNB 506. In the firstphase of 5G (or NR), a network is designed to operate in the EN-DC mode520 as shown in FIG. 5, where gNB 506 (operating as an SN) communicateswith EPC network 502 through eNB 504 (operating as the MN). In EN-DC,control and data are transmitted/received over eNB and gNB respectively.In an NSA mode of operation, the MR-DC operation takes place with onlythe MN (in this case eNB 504) being connected to the core network (inthis case EPC 502). FIG. 5 also illustrates an NGEN-DC (next generation)530 system, in which a next generation eNB 510 (operating as an MN) isconnected to a 5G core (5GC) network, and gNB 506 (operating as an SN)communicates with ng-eNB 510, with UE 106 individually and independentlycommunicating with ng-eNB 510 and gNB 506. Finally, FIG. 5 illustratesan NE-DC system 540, in which a gNB 506 operates as the MN connecting to5GC network 508, with ng-eNB 510 operating as an SN communicating withgNB 506. Again, UE 106 individually and independently communicates withng-eNB 510 and gNB 506.

UE Operating Capabilities and Operating Parameters

As previously mentioned, at times, UEs may need to communicateinformation pertaining to certain operating capabilities of the UE tothe network. For example, the UE may need to inform the network that theUE is overheating. Consequently, it may be useful for the UE tocommunicate information pertaining to certain operating parameters ofthe UE to the network. LTE UE supports high data rates with multipleMIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) layers, high order modulations,and carrier aggregation (CA). As a result, an LTE UE may oftenexperience an overheating problem when supporting high rates with theabove mentioned features enabled. Therefore, an agreement was reached tomake provisions for an LTE UE to inform the network about internaloverheating by transmitting certain information to the network asdedicated “UE Assistance Information”. This information may includeinformation pertaining to the category of the UE (adjusted/reduced UEcategory for UL/DL), and information pertaining to the number ofcomponent carriers (CCs; adjusted/reduced number of CCs for UL/DL).

An agreement was reached to implement a temporary capabilityadjustment/restriction mechanism in NR SA operations, to temporarilylimit a UE's capability in order to address and handle issues such as aUE overheating, hardware sharing, interference, etc. A UE may transmit atemporary capability restriction request to network, and the network mayeither confirm or reject such a request. However, no details of anytemporary capability restriction mechanism(s) for NR SA have beenidentified yet. In other words, no agreed-upon mechanism currentlyexists for handling NR UE overheating in NSA operation. In NSA mode ofoperation it is very likely that NR communications contribute more to UEoverheating than LTE communications, considering that NR supports a verylarge bandwidth (up to 400 MHz per carrier), higher peak data rate(s)with higher modulation order (up to 256QAM), up to 8 MIMO layers, andmany aggregated carriers (<=16). Therefore, it is desirable to introducean overheating handling mechanism for NR in NSA mode. More generally, itis desirable to introduce a comprehensive mechanism for handling UEcapability adjustments initiated by the UE with the LTE and NR networks,e.g. to reduce power consumption, reduce the workload on varioushardware components of the UE, address interference issues, hardwaresharing issues, and/or a variety of other operating characteristics, byenabling the UE to communicate information pertaining to variousoperating parameters of the UE to the LTE and/or NR networks, and havethe networks adjust/reduce the capabilities of the UE based on thatinformation.

UE Assistance Information Transmission Options

In some embodiments, at least three different transmission schemes oroptions may be devised for transmitting the UE Assistance Information(UEAI).

-   -   Option 1: The LTE UEAI is extended to NR networks, whereby NR        related capability information may be added to/included in LTE        UEAI transmissions. An eNB may forward the information to a gNB.        For example, in the EN-DC system 520 shown in FIG. 5, UE 106 may        transmit the LTE UEAI that includes the NR capability        information to eNB 504, and eNB 504 may forward the NR        capability information to gNB 506. Both eNB 504 and gNB 506 may        adjust (e.g. reduce) the UE capabilities as applicable.    -   Option 2: Temporary capability adjustment/restriction is        applicable to NSA mode of operation. NR messages (e.g. NR RRC        messages) may be defined for reporting information corresponding        to UE operating capabilities associated with NR communications.        The reporting by the UE may be in response to certain operating        issues with the UE, e.g. UE overheating. Thus, the UE may        report/transmit information pertaining to various operating        parameters of the UE that may affect the UE's operating        capabilities. E.g., the UE may transmit a temporary capability        adjustment/restriction request for NR or NR UEAI in addition to        transmitting a temporary capability adjustment/restriction        request for LTE or LTE UEAI. Referring again to the EN-DC system        520 of FIG. 5, the UE 106 may transmit an LTE message (e.g. LTE        RRC message) to the eNB 504, with the LTE message encapsulating        the NR message (e.g. NR RRC message) that includes the NR UEAI        and/or temporary capability adjustment/restriction request for        NR. The eNB 504 and gNB 506 may independently handle the        respective messages received, and may adjust (e.g. reduce) the        UE capabilities as applicable.    -   Option 3: The UE may transmit separate requests and/or UEAI for        LTE and NR. For example, referring again to the EN-DC system 520        of FIG. 5, the UE 106 may transmit an LTE message (e.g. LTE RRC        message) to the eNB 504, with the message including LTE UEAI        and/or a temporary capability adjustment/restriction request for        LTE. Similarly, the UE 106 may transmit an NR message (e.g. an        NR RRC message) separately from the LTE message, with the        message including NR UEAI and/or a temporary capability        adjustment/restriction request for NR. The eNB 504 and gNB 506        may independently handle the respective messages received, this        time directly from the UE, and may adjust (e.g. reduce) the UE        capabilities as applicable.        Option 1

As mentioned above the LTE UEAI is extended to include NR relatedcapabilities as well. Accordingly, information pertaining to a greatnumber of UE operating parameters may be included in messages thatcontain UEAI. As previously mentioned, the operating parameters alreadyincluded for LTE are the category of the UE (adjusted/reduced UEcategory for UL/DL), and information pertaining to the number ofcomponent carriers (CCs; adjusted/reduced number of CCs for UL/DL).Information about these parameters may be incorporated as fields withinthe LTE UEAI. For example, the LTE UEAI includes the fields:

-   -   Reduced UE-Category DL (adjust the UE category for DL)    -   Reduced UE-Category UL (adjust the UE category for UL)    -   Reduced CCs DL (adjust the number of CCs for DL)    -   Reduced CCs UL (adjust the number of CCs for DL)

Pursuant to the above, in some embodiments, the following fields may beincluded in the LTE UEAI for NR:

-   -   Reduced UE-Category DL NR (adjust the UE category for DL for NR)    -   Reduced UE-Category UL NR (adjust the UE category for UL for NR)    -   Reduced UE-Category DL NR for MR-DC (adjust the UE category for        DL in MR-DC mode of operation for NR)    -   Reduced UE-Category UL NR for NR-DC (adjust the UE category for        UL in MR-DC mode of operation for NR)    -   Reduced CCs DL NR (adjust the number of CCs for DL for NR)    -   Reduced CCs UL NR (adjust the number of CCs for DL for NR)

Assistance information related to physical layer modulation for NR maybe included as fields. Reducing the complexity of modulation scheme(s)may limit the maximum data, which may reduce the operating load on thehardware and me thereby reduce power consumption. The following fieldsmay therefore be included in the LTE UEAI for NR:

-   -   Reduced Modulation Scheme NR (adjust the modulation scheme for        NR)—decreasing modulation schemes may limit the supported        maximum data rate    -   Reduced MIMO layers NR (adjust the number of MIMO layers for        NR)—reducing MIMO layers effectively reduces the supported        maximum data rate    -   Reduced CA Band Combination NR (adjust the number of bands used        in CA for NR)—it may include the preferred set of band        combinations that UE may support    -   Reduced maximum TBS for DL-shared-channel/UL-shared-channel NR        (adjust the TBS for NR)—limiting the TBS may limit peak        throughput    -   Reduced maximum size of Layer-2 (L2) buffers NR (adjust the        maximum size of the L2 buffer for NR)—limiting buffer size may        decrease throughput

Resource Element (REs) in NR are the smallest unit of the resource gridconstructed of one subcarrier in frequency domain and one OFDM symbol intime domain. A Resource Element Group (REG) in NR consists of oneresource block (12 resource elements in frequency domain) and one OFDMsymbol in the time domain. An REG bundle in NR consists of multipleREGs. A Control Channel Element (CCE) in NR consists of up of 6 REGs.The number REG bundles within a CCE may vary. A Control Resource Set(CORESET) in NR consists of multiple resource blocks (e.g. multiples of12 REs) in the frequency domain, and ‘1 or 2 or 3’ OFDM symbols in thetime domain. A CORESET therefore defines time frequency resources.CORESET monitoring essentially involves the UE monitoring PDCCH.Assistance information related to PDCCH for NR may also be included asfields in the LTE UEAI.

-   -   Minimum CORESET monitoring period NR (adjust the CORESET        monitoring period for NR)—increasing the minimum CORESET        monitoring periodicity may provide the UE with time to go to        micro-sleep mode in-between two CORESETs with no PDCCH        monitoring and consequently no PDSCH scheduling, which may        reduce power consumption and heat generation    -   Minimum UE-specific search space monitoring period NR (adjust        UE-specific search space monitoring period for NR)—increasing        the minimum search space monitoring periodicity may provide the        UE with time to enter micro-sleep mode in-between two search        spaces with no PDCCH monitoring, which may reduce power        consumption and heat generation.    -   Minimum Cell-specific search space monitoring period NR (adjust        cell-specific search space monitoring period for NR)—increasing        the minimum search space monitoring periodicity may provide the        UE with time to enter micro-sleep mode in-between two search        spaces with no PDCCH monitoring, which may reduce power        consumption and heat generation.    -   Maximum number of continuous slots PDCCH monitored NR (adjust        the maximum number of continuous time slots during which PDCCH        is monitored for NR)—this may limit the maximum number of slots        the UE may continuously monitor until the next CORESET        monitoring occasion (similar to the On-Duration in C-DRX for        LTE). It may limit the amount of power and heat produced during        one cycle of CORESET monitoring.    -   Maximum number of continuous slots data (PDSCH/PUSCH) scheduled        NR (adjust the maximum number of continuous time slots during        which data is transmitted during DL/UL for NR)—this may limit        the maximum number of slots for the UE that may be scheduled        continuously. It may limit the amount of power and heat produced        during one cycle of CORESET monitoring. Data transmission        requires more processing power than PDCCH monitoring.    -   Maximum number of blind decoding per slot NR (adjust the maximum        number of times blind decoding is performed during a time        slot)—limiting the number of blind decodes may save UE power and        potentially reduce heat generation

Assistance information related to PDCCH-PDSCH-ACK timing for NR may alsobe included as fields in the LTE UEAI. Four K values are defined for NR:K0 corresponds to the time difference between transmission of PDCCH andPDSCH, K1 corresponds to the time difference between transmission ofPDSCH and the corresponding ACK, K2 corresponds to the time differencebetween transmission of PDCCH and PUSCH, and K3 corresponds to the timedifference between transmission of PUSCH and the corresponding ACK. TheK values may be dynamically signaled to the UE or may be semi-staticallyconfigured. Selection of respective K values by the UE may reduceprocessing requirements and therefore reduce power consumption andoverheating. Accordingly, the following assistance information relatedto PDCCH-PDSCH-ACK timing for NR may be included as fields in the LTEUEAI.

-   -   Preferred set of K0 values NR (adjust the K0 value for NR)        -   Case 1: For cross-slot scheduling (due to dynamic switching            between narrowband and wideband), K0>0 value may be            required. In cross-slot scheduling PDCCH and PDSCH are            transmitted in different time slots. PDCCH is scheduled            first, then PDSCH. PDCCH may be received over narrowband            (NB) while PDSCH may be received over wideband (WB).        -   Case 2: If CORESET monitoring periodicity is 2, then, K0=0            may save UE power since UE enter micro-sleep mode every            other time slot. When K=0, it follows that PDCCH and PDSCH            are transmitted simultaneously (same time slot). When K=0,            the UE may avoid power ramp-down/ramp-up time for            transitioning from PDCCH monitoring to micro-sleep mode to            PDSCH data transmission.    -   Preferred set of K1 values NR (adjust the K1 value for NR)—when        CORESET monitoring periodicity is e.g., 5, if K1=0, the UE        receives PDSCH and send the corresponding ACK in the same time        slot, which may save one modem power ramp-down and ramp-up cycle        between PDSCH reception and ACK transmission slots, which may        potentially reduce UE power consumption and potentially        preventing overheating.    -   Preferred set of K2 values NR (adjust the K2 value for NR)—if        K2=0, the UE receives UL grant and transmit PUSCH at the same        slot, which may save a cycle of modem power ramp-down and        ramp-up between UL grant and PUSCH transmission, which may        potentially reduce UE power consumption and potentially        preventing overheating.    -   Preferred set of K3 values NR (adjust the K3 value for NR)—if        K3=1, then, UE transmits PUSCH in a time slot and receives an        ACK in a next time slot, which may save a cycle of modem power        ramp-down and ramp-up between PUSCH transmit and ACK receive,        which may potentially reduce UE power consumption and        potentially preventing overheating.

Assistance information related to Bandwidth part (BWP) and RF parameterfor NR may also be included as fields in the LTE UEAI. BWP is a subsetof the UE's maximum RF channel bandwidth (BW). For example, for each UE,the maximum BW may be divided into four (4) BWPs. Accordingly, thefollowing assistance information related to BWP and RF parameter for NRmay be included in the LTE UEAI.

-   -   Max size of BWP DL/UL NR (adjust the size of BWPs for        NR)—limiting the maximum size of BWP for DL/UL for NR may        potentially reduce UE power consumption or prevent overheating        by limiting sample rate and buffering requirements. In one        sense, this represents dynamically adjusting the BWP based on        the amount of data transmitted. When a BWP is large but only a        small amount of data is transmitted, the UE may be wasting        power.    -   Preferred set of BWPs DL/UL NR (use the indicated preferred BWPs        for the UE for NR)—UE may indicate a preferred set of BWPs        for DL. The preferred BWPs may either be specified by the UE or        selected from BWPs configured by the network. E.g., the UE may        indicate which of the available BWPs are preferred (for use) by        the UE.    -   Max number of active BWP DL/UL NR (adjust the maximum number of        BWPs for DL/UL for NR—more than one active DL/UL BWPs may be        supported. In this case, limiting the number of BWPs may reduce        UE power consumption and prevent overheating. E.g., when there        is support for more than one (more than a single) active BWP,        the UE may indicate the maximum number of active BWPs the UE        would preferably use.    -   Preferred BWP change timer value NR (adjust the BWP change time        value for the UE for NR)—upon expiration of the BWP timer, the        UE is expected to change its active BWP to a default BWP. By        controlling the timer value, UE may potentially influence UE        power consumption and heating. E.g., reducing the BWP change        timer value may result in a quicker change by the UE to (using)        a default BWP, which may be a narrow BW (e.g., for monitoring        control channel(s)), which may also reduce power consumption        when moving from a higher BW BWP to a lower BW BWP.    -   Reduced Maximum UE channel bandwidth DL/UL NR (adjust the        maximum UE channel bandwidth for NR)—similar to the ‘Max size of        BWP DL/UL NR’ above, this may limit the maximum bandwidth        supported by the UE, which may reduce power consumption and        prevent overheating.

In LTE, carrier aggregation (CA) refers to the process of aggregatingtwo or more component carriers (CCs) in order to support widertransmission bandwidths, e.g. bandwidths of up to 100 MHz. A UE maysimultaneously receive or transmit on one or multiple CCs depending onthe UE's capabilities. When CA is configured, the UE may maintain oneRRC connection with the network. The serving cell managing the UE's RRCconnection is referred to as the Primary Cell (Pcell), and SecondaryCells (Scells) together with the Pcell may form a set of serving cells.In CA, a UE may be scheduled via PDCCH over multiple serving cellssimultaneously. Cross-carrier scheduling with the Carrier IndicatorField (CIF) allows the PDCCH of a serving cell to schedule resources onanother serving cell. That is, a UE receiving a downlink assignment onone CC may receive associated data on another CC. The followingassistance information related to CA for NR may be included in the LTEUEAI.

-   -   Reduced component carriers (CCs) DL/UL NR (adjust the number of        DL/UL CCs for NR)—if the number of DL/UL CCs is reduced, UE        processing load may be reduced and accordingly heating may also        be reduced.    -   Preferred Scell inactivity timer value NR (adjust the Scell        inactivity timer for NR)—if Scell is not used, it may be        deactivated after the timer expires. Depending on traffic load        and need, controlling this value may have an impact on UE power        savings/heating. The timer change is similar to the BWP timer        change in that the sooner the Scell connectivity is deactivated,        the sooner the processing load is reduced, and the sooner power        consumption may also be reduced.

Currently the UE is expected to report up to four (4) different DLbeams. The following assistance information related to beam measurementand/or reporting for NR may be included in the LTE UEAI

-   -   Preferred maximum number of DL beams to report NR (adjust the        maximum number of beams to report for NR)—if the reporting        requirement is reduced, it may potentially reduce UE power        consumption and heat for measurement and UL transmission. In        other words, reducing the number of beams to report may improve        the processing load and power consumption.    -   Preferred minimum SRS transmission period NR (adjust the minimum        SRS [Sounding Reference Signal] transmission period for        NR)—increasing the minimum SRS transmit period may reduce UE        power consumption and heat at the cost of reduced UL beam        management performance. Increasing the SRS transmission period        means fewer instances of SRS transmission, which reduces        load/power consumption.    -   Preferred minimum CSI report period (adjust the minimum CSI        [Channel State Information] reporting period for NR)—increasing        the minimum CSI report period may reduce UE power consumption        and heat at the cost of DL reduced beam management performance.

DRX related values/parameters as defined in LTE may also be included forNR in the LTE UEAI, as controlling DRX parameters may have an impact onUE power consumption and heating during both connected mode and idlemode.

-   -   Preferred On-Duration timer value NR (adjust the On-Duration        time value for NR)    -   Preferred DRX Inactivity timer value NR (adjust the DRX        inactivity timer value for NR)    -   Preferred short DRX cycle value NR (adjust the short DRX cycle        value for NR)    -   Preferred DRX short Cycle-Timer value NR (adjust the DRX short        Cycle-Timer value for NR)    -   Preferred long DRX Cycle Start Offset value NR (adjust the long        DRX Cycle Start Offset value for NR)    -   Preferred HARQ RTT timer value NR (adjust the HARQ RTT timer        value for NR)    -   Preferred DRX Retransmission Timer NR (adjust the DRX        Retransmission Timer value for NR)    -   Preferred DRX cycle NR (adjust the DRX cycle value for NR)

NR supports two different types of UL. Regular UL and supplemental UL(SUL). Furthermore, NR also supports ACK bundling, where multiple ACKscorresponding to different respective DL transmissions may be mergedinto a single ACK. If implemented by the UE, ACK bundling may reduceload/power consumption. The UE may communicate its preference to thenetwork to have this feature enabled. Thus, the UEAI may also includethe following fields.

-   -   Preferred UL types NR (set the UL type for UE for NR)—the UE        transmit a bitmap indicating whether it prefers either UL only        or SUL only or both. In case only one UL type is supported, the        UE may turn off the other transmit chain, which may save power        and reduce heating.    -   ACK bundling preferred NR (enable/disable ACK bundling for UE        for NR)—the UE may indicate to the network whether it prefers to        enable ACK bundling for PDSCH transmissions. Enabling ACK        bundling may potentially reduce the on-time of one of the        transmit chains.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating the transmissionof LTE RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information for NR,according to some embodiments. The information pertaining to any feature(or operating parameter) may be transmitted from a UE to network (eNBand gNB) when both networks and the UE support the feature, and the UEis permitted by the network to transmit the information/request.Depending on the reason identified by the UE for transmitting the UEAIand/or request for feature/operating parameter adjustment, the UEAI mayinclude the information/request for LTE only or NR only, or for both LTEand NR. Once LTE eNB receives the UEAI for NR, the eNB may forward thisinformation to the gNB. Upon receiving the respective UEAI/request, theeNB (for UEAI for LTE) and/or gNB (for UEAI for NR) may honor therequests or may reject the requests. The decision may be madeindependently by the eNB and the gNB. In some embodiments, a prohibittimer may be implemented in both the eNB and the gNB, and the prohibittime may be reset whenever UEAI is reported from the UE. While the timeris running, the UE may not transmit additional UEAI.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, UE 106 may transmit in a message 610, e.g. inan LTE RRC message, UEAI (or feature/operating parameter adjustmentrequest) for LTE and NR to eNB 604. The UEAI for NR included in message610 may be transmitted by eNB 604 to gNB 606 in a second message 612.Subsequently, DL/UL transmissions 614 may take place between UE 106 andeNB 604 with or without adjustments to UE capabilities by eNB 604, basedon the UE Assistance Information (for LTE). Similarly, DL/ULtransmissions 616 may take place between UE 106 and gNB 606 with orwithout adjustments to UE capabilities by gNB 606, based on the UEAssistance Information (for NR). The UE 106 may be prompted to transmitthe UEAI by issues relating to in-device coexistence, overheating,issues relating to HW-sharing (shared resources), etc.

Option 2

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating transmission ofLTE RRC messages that include encapsulated NR RRC messages which includeUE Assistance Information for NR, according to some embodiments. Aspreviously mentioned, a second approach may extend the temporary UEcapability adjustment/restriction mechanism for SA mode of operation toNSA mode of operation by encapsulating NR RRC messages in LTE RRCmessages. In this approach, the eNB may forward the NR temporarycapability adjustment (e.g. restriction) request message (or NR RRCmessage) to the gNB through LTE-RRC signaling. In this case, the LTE andNR capabilities may be temporarily adjusted via their own respectivemechanisms. For example, a separate NR temporary UE capabilityadjustment (e.g. restriction) request message or UEAI (similar to LTEUEAI) in a message may be transmitted with the newly introduced fieldsdiscussed in detail above with respect to Option 1. In other words, inthis approach, separate NR messages (e.g. NR RRC messages) may becreated, and those messages may include any one or more of the UEAIfields discussed with respect to Option 1. The NR messages may beencapsulated in LTE messages that are transmitted by the UE to the eNB,and the eNB may then forward those encapsulated NR messages to the gNB.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, UE 106 may transmit in a message 710, e.g. inan LTE RRC message, UEAI (or feature/operating parameter adjustmentrequest) for LTE to eNB 704. The UE 106 may also transmit to eNB 704 inanother message 722 (which may be an LTE RRC message), UEAI (orfeature/operating parameter adjustment request) for NR included in an NRmessage encapsulated in message 722. The eNB 704 may then forwardmessage 722 as message 712 to gNB 706. Subsequently, DL/UL transmissions714 may take place between UE 106 and eNB 704 with or withoutadjustments to UE capabilities by eNB 704, based on the UE AssistanceInformation (for LTE). Similarly, DL/UL transmissions 716 may take placebetween UE 106 and gNB 706 with or without adjustments to UEcapabilities by gNB 706, based on the UE Assistance Information (forNR). The UE 106 may be prompted to transmit the UEAI by issues relatingto in-device coexistence, overheating, issues relating to HW-sharing(shared resources), etc.

Option 3

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary timing diagram illustrating transmission ofLTE RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information and transmissionof separate NR RRC messages that include UE Assistance Information,according to some embodiments. As previously noted, a third approach mayinclude transmitting separate requests and/or UEAI for LTE and NR torespective corresponding base stations. This approach may be used whenthere is no interaction needed between the different base stationsoperating according to different RATs, e.g. between eNB and gNB. E.g.,even if the UE is operating in NSA mode, if the UE requests anadjustment to a specific feature, e.g. the UE requests to restrict thenumber of CCs, in NR Scells for any reason, e.g. due to overheating, itis possible for the gNB to reconfigure the UE independently with theconfiguration impacting the NR communications only, while the number ofCCs for LTE communications remain the same. The same possibility isavailable to LTE, where adjustments are made for LTE communications onlywhile no adjustments are made for NR communications. Of course,adjustments may be made for both RATs, depending on the respectivemessages transmitted by the UE to the base stations. The UE may send theLTE side request via LTE messaging (e.g. LTE RRC messages), and send theNR side requests via NR messaging (e.g. NR RRC messages). The UE maydetermine whether to make adjustments to (e.g. restrict) thecapabilities for either LTE communications or NR communications or both.This way, the LTE and NR capabilities may be temporarily adjusted viatheir own respective mechanisms. In this approach, separate NR messages(e.g. NR RRC messages) may be created and transmitted by the UE directlyto the gNB, and the messages may include any one or more of the UEAIfields discussed with respect to Option 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, UE 106 may transmit in a message 810, e.g. inan LTE RRC message, UEAI (or feature/operating parameter adjustmentrequest) for LTE to eNB 804. The UE 106 may also transmit to gNB 806 inanother message 812 (which may be an NR RRC message), UEAI (orfeature/operating parameter adjustment request) for NR. Subsequently,DL/UL transmissions 814 may take place between UE 106 and eNB 704 withor without adjustments to UE capabilities by eNB 804, based on the UEAssistance Information (for LTE). Similarly, DL/UL transmissions 816 maytake place between UE 106 and gNB 806 with or without adjustments to UEcapabilities by gNB 806, based on the UE Assistance Information (forNR). The UE 106 may be prompted to transmit the UEAI by issues relatingto in-device coexistence, overheating, issues relating to HW-sharing(shared resources), etc. It should be noted that since UE 106 istransmitting directly to gNB, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the temporarycapability adjustment is fully supported during SA mode of operation.

Update of Temporarily Capability

Once a UE has transmitted UEAI and/or a temporary capability adjustment(e.g. restriction) request to eNB and/or gNB, the UE may explicitlyinform the (respective) network by sending another message afterdetermining that the issue(s) (which prompted the transmission of UEAIand/or a temporary capability adjustment request) has been resolved. TheUE may do this by transmitting new UEAI which may actually targetrestoring the previous settings, and or simply target a new set ofpreferred capabilities. The UE may similarly transmit a temporary UEcapability adjustment request with new set of preferred capabilityvalues. The new set of preferred capability values may include eitherstandard capabilities or another set of relaxed reduced capabilities. Insome embodiments, the network may operate an internal timer during whichthe network honors the adjusted (e.g. reduced) UE capability. The timervalue may be set to a value long enough for any issues that prompted theoriginal UEAI/request to be resolved. Once the timer has expired the,network may revert the UE capability back to the original or standardcapability values of the UE.

Temporarily Capability Adjustment (e.g. Restriction) for SA Mode ofOperation

Any newly introduced temporary UE capabilities for NR—e.g. thosedescribed above with respect to Option 1—also may be used for thetemporary UE capability adjustment (e.g. capability restriction) for anSA mode of operation. In this case, UE may directly transmit a temporarycapability adjustment (e.g. temporary capability restriction) request tothe gNB.

Connected Mode Versus Idle Mode

The UE capability may be temporarily adjusted while the UE is inConnected-mode via RRC signaling, as described in detail above. If theUE moves to IDLE state while its capability is adjusted (e.g. itscapability is restricted), then the network may interpret the state ofthe UE and its capabilities in at least two different ways. In someembodiments, any temporarily adjusted capabilities may be released oncethe UE moves to an IDLE state. Alternately, when the UE moves to IDLEstate, the network may simply retain the reduced capability values.

If the UE makes and RRC reestablishment with network, the network mayagain interpret the state of the UE and its capabilities in at least twodifferent ways. In some embodiments, the network and the UE may revertto the default (or standard/normal) UE capabilities. Alternately, thenetwork and the may retain/continue to use the previously adjustedcapability values.

Embodiments of the present invention may be realized in any of variousforms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention may berealized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memorymedium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the presentinvention may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardwaredevices such as ASICs. In other embodiments, the present invention maybe realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such asFPGAs.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium(e.g., a non-transitory memory element) may be configured so that itstores program instructions and/or data, where the program instructions,if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform amethod, e.g., any of a method embodiments described herein, or, anycombination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subsetof any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combinationof such subsets.

In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to includea processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or memoryelement), where the memory medium stores program instructions, where theprocessor is configured to read and execute the program instructionsfrom the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable toimplement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or,any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, anysubset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, anycombination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any ofvarious forms.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace allsuch variations and modifications.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a processorconfigured to cause a wireless communication device (UE) to: wirelesslycommunicate with a first base station according to a first radio accesstechnology (RAT), wherein the first base station is a new radio (NR)base station (gNB) and the first RAT is NR; transmit assistanceinformation to the first base station, wherein the assistanceinformation comprises first preferred values of first operatingparameters of the UE corresponding to timing information forcommunicating according to the first RAT, wherein the first operatingparameters include: K0, associated with a time difference betweentransmissions of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and K2, associated with a timedifference between transmissions of the PDCCH and a physical uplinkshared channel (PUSCH); and conduct transmissions with the first basestation according to: adjusted first operating parameters in response tothe first base station adjusting the first operating parametersaccording to the first preferred values; or unadjusted first operatingparameters in response to the first base station not adjusting the firstoperating parameters.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processoris configured to further cause the UE to transmit the assistanceinformation in a first-RAT radio resource control message.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to furthercause the UE to transmit the assistance information in response to anoperating issue of the UE.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein theoperating issue comprises one or more of the following: the UEoverheating; the UE consuming more than a specified amount of power;in-device coexistence performance within the UE; or hardware sharingwithin the UE.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to further cause the UE to: include second preferred valuesin a second-RAT radio resource control message encapsulated in afirst-RAT radio resource control message that is included in thetransmit assistance information; wherein the first-RAT radio resourcecontrol message is to be forwarded by the first base station to a secondbase station, and wherein the second preferred values correspond to oneor more second operating capabilities of the UE associated withcommunicating with the second base station according to the second RAT.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured tofurther cause the UE to transmit a message to the first base station,wherein the message indicates that the first operating parameters nolonger need to be adjusted.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to further cause the UE to conduct transmissionswith the first base station according to the unadjusted first operatingparameters upon expiration of a first timer in the first base station,if the first base station adjusted the first operating parameters.
 8. Awireless communication device (UE) comprising: radio circuitryconfigured to wirelessly communicate with a first base station accordingto a first radio access technology (RAT), wherein the first base stationis a new radio (NR) base station (gNB) and the first RAT is NR; aprocessor configured to: transmit, via the radio circuitry, assistanceinformation to the first base station, wherein the assistanceinformation comprises first preferred values of first operatingparameters of the UE corresponding to timing information forcommunicating according to the first RAT, wherein the first operatingparameters include: K0, associated with a time difference betweentransmissions of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and K2, associated with a timedifference between transmissions of the PDCCH and a physical uplinkshared channel (PUSCH); and conduct transmissions, via the radiocircuitry, with the first base station according to: adjusted firstoperating parameters in response to the first base station adjusting thefirst operating parameters according to the first preferred values; orunadjusted first operating parameters in response to the first basestation not adjusting the first operating parameters.
 9. The UE of claim8, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit theassistance information in a first-RAT radio resource control message.10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to transmitthe assistance information in response to an operating issue of the UE.11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the operating issue comprises one ormore of the following: the UE overheating; the UE consuming more than aspecified amount of power; in-device coexistence performance within theUE; or hardware sharing within the UE.
 12. The UE of claim 8, whereinthe processor is configured to: include second preferred values in asecond-RAT radio resource control message encapsulated in a first-RATradio resource control message that is included in the transmitassistance information; wherein the first-RAT radio resource controlmessage is to be forwarded by the first base station to a second basestation, and wherein the second preferred values correspond to one ormore second operating capabilities of the UE associated withcommunicating with the second base station according to the second RAT.13. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to transmit amessage to the first base station, wherein the message indicates thatthe first operating parameters no longer need to be adjusted.
 14. The UEof claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to: conducttransmissions with the first base station according to the unadjustedfirst operating parameters upon expiration of a first timer in the firstbase station, if the first base station adjusted the first operatingparameters.
 15. A new radio (NR) base station (gNB) comprising: radiocircuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with a wirelesscommunication device (UE) according to a first radio access technology(RAT), wherein the first RAT is NR; and a processor configured to:receive, via the radio circuitry, assistance information from the UE,wherein the assistance information comprises first preferred values offirst operating parameters of the UE corresponding to timing informationfor communicating according to the first RAT, wherein the firstoperating parameters include: K0, associated with a time differencebetween transmissions of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) anda physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and K2, associated with atime difference between transmissions of the PDCCH and a physical uplinkshared channel (PUSCH); and conduct transmissions, via the radiocircuitry, with the UE according to: adjusted first operating parametersin response to the processor adjusting the first operating parametersaccording to the first preferred values; or unadjusted first operatingparameters in response to the processor not adjusting the firstoperating parameters.
 16. The base station of claim 15, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: receive the first assistanceinformation in a first-RAT radio resource control message.
 17. The basestation of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured toreceive the first assistance information in response to an operatingissue of the UE.
 18. The base station of claim 17, wherein the operatingissue comprises one or more of the following: the UE overheating; the UEconsuming more than a specified amount of power; in-device coexistenceperformance within the UE; or hardware sharing within the UE.
 19. Thebase station of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to: receive afirst message from the UE, wherein the first message indicates thatfirst operating parameters no longer need to be adjusted.
 20. The basestation of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:conduct transmissions with the UE according to the unadjusted firstoperating parameters upon expiration of a first timer, if the processoradjusted the first operating parameters.